


1000 Hours (One Shot)

by heyjayyay



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: 1000 hours, 5h, Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Camren - Freeform, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-04
Updated: 2014-09-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 03:18:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5896078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjayyay/pseuds/heyjayyay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lauren is sentenced to 1000 hours of community service and it's pretty damn horrible... until it's not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1000 Hours (One Shot)

**Author's Note:**

> Stay in touch!  
> Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07BB6DFXN  
> Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17449889.Jessica_Yeh  
> Facebook: facebook.com/JessicaYehWrites/  
> 

**1000 Hours (One Shot)**

_1000 Hours_

Her dark boots slammed down on the kickstand as she parked her motorcycle on the side of the tattered building. She hadn’t been there since she was a little girl. She shook the memory out of her head with a sigh. Her shoes clunked lazily as they collided with the pavement. It was just another day. She told herself. _1000 hours. It’ll be over before you know it._

It wasn’t like she was necessarily doing something she hated. Not like she used to, anyway. What she did before, she definitely hated that. But it wasn’t like she had a choice. Not like she had one now either, though.

The door smacked behind her like a gavel. _Guilty_.

She was momentarily blinded as a dirty-blonde haired woman greeted her. She scowled as her cousin’s arms were thrown over her shoulders, jumping into her and causing Lauren to stumble back.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Ally greeted after their bodies had collided. “I’ve been worried about you.” The older girl said, genuinely concerned. “Ever since the…”

“Yeah.” Lauren cut off coolly, pushing the smaller girl off of her, brushing her black leather sleeves off. “Let’s just get this over with.” She huffed, pushing past her cousin and trudging over to the back room where an apron and name tag were waiting for her.

_928 Hours_

The tasks seemed mundane, dragging the day on and on. She would constantly glance at the clock, and each time, it seemed to be “poo time.” Walk one dog, pick up its shit. Walk another dog, pick up its shit. Clean the cages, pick up more shit. Empty the litter box. _Shit. Shit. Shit._

The smell of animal feces and wet dog may have almost been worse than the stench of the smoke and alcohol she was used to being around. _Almost._

Sometimes it wasn’t too bad. Sometimes she didn’t have to wash the dogs or sweep the floors. Sometimes, she got to take the animals into the play area to give them a little human interaction. She tried her hardest never to let Ally see her crack a smile when she did. And she did a pretty good job of it. Her cousin would simply walk by, smile, and continue on with her own work.

Lauren liked being with animals. They were loyal and couldn’t talk back. Even if they didn’t enjoy her company, they didn’t have a damn say in it. It was kind of nice to have someone around that didn’t have anything bad to say about you, even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.

_836 Hours_

She could get used to this, possibly. Ally had let her keep charge of the shelter a few times while she went out to buy food and other supplies for the animals. Things could change. And they did. _Unfortunately_.

That morning, a tiny girl with pampered hands and adorned in pearls came flouncing in.

“Can I help you?” Lauren glowered. The girl was probably looking for a small dog to stuff into that purse of hers. Lauren narrowed her eyes at the bag. Whatever poor dog would be shoved into that purse would suffer years of annoying baby talk, she concluded. This girl would probably dress it in fluffy tutus and stick her face up in its grill, ooo-ing and ahh-ing at it.

She inwardly cringed out of pity for the sucker she decided to adopt.

To her surprise, the girl didn’t seem interested in adopting. Instead, she took a pastel flower pen from her bag and grabbed an application from the pile on the front counter.

Lauren’s green eyes followed as the girl’s wrist twitched rapidly, blinking as the application was almost instantly thrust in her direction. Her bold eyebrows met as she looked down at the application tucked neatly between the girl’s fingers.

She swiped it from the slender hands, half-heartedly skimming her credentials. Just as she was about to turn the girl away, Ally walked through the door, her face beaming at the sight of a potential recruit. And before Lauren knew what was happening, there was another apron hanging next to hers every morning. Its nametag read _Camila_.  

_784 Hours_

Lauren was going to rip her hair out. This girl was the epitome of everything she didn’t want to have to deal with for the next 784 hours of her community service.

“You can’t walk more than one dog at a time.” She repeated for the nth day in a row.

“But, they’re going to get lonely while they wait.” Camila claimed. “It’s not fair.” She pushed out her pink bottom lip.

“They’ll live.” Lauren grumbled, completely unaffected by the girl’s pout as she snatched the extra six leashes from the girl’s hands. The dogs on the other end began to howl and whine in protest.

“See! You’ve upset them.” The smaller girl cried, a frown spread across her features. “I’m sorry.” She kneeled down to each dog, touching her forehead to their furry one, looking into their sad eyes. “I’m really sorry.” She repeated to each one before kissing its muzzle.

“If you didn’t give them hope to start with, they wouldn’t have felt betrayed by you.” Lauren spat as she returned each of the canines to their respective cages.

Camila took twice as long to walk her dogs as Lauren did because she insisted that they be allowed to sniff as many hydrant and flower beds as they wanted.

“This is a job.” Lauren lectured. “Not some play time. Some of us actually need to get work done.” She said once the last dog was properly returned to its cage.

“Why are you always so angry?” The girl whimpered as she retrieved an orange kitten for her next assignment, rocking it in her arms like a baby. It purred softly as she used her index finger to draw a heart on its white stomach. The kitten playfully bat at her finger, unaware of the tension between the two volunteers.

“I’m not angry.” The green-eyed girl shot back, spinning on her heels. “One kitten in the play area at a time.” She shouted over her shoulder, not needing to bother looking back at the girl’s guilty face. She heard Camila huff as she shut the cage door behind her.

_753 Hours_

“I just don’t understand.” The girl sniffed. Lauren had lashed out once again, causing not only the dogs, but Camila to walk away with her tail between her legs, so to speak.

Lauren peaked out from behind the counter at her cousin nodding sympathetically as she rubbed the girl’s arms that were now wrapped around her body as she cried. The bow in her hair drooped as if it were an extension of its owner.

“I don’t know what I did to upset her.” Camila continued, picking at her cuticles, eyes glued to the ground.

“Don’t take what Lauren says to heart.” Ally consoled. “She’ll open up eventually. Lauren’s not as tough as she seems.” Her cousin defended. “She may not seem it, but Lauren’s a real softy once you get to know her.”

“Yeah right.” Camila huffed dryly. “She’s about as soft as a boulder.”

“She’s had a rough life and got into a mess with the wrong crowd. But she has good intentions.” The older girl said.

_You’re an ass, Jauregui. What did she ever do to you?_

_Nothing._

After the younger girl had wiped away her tears, she put on a brave face and continued on with the day’s work. This time though, Lauren turned the other cheek and allowed her to slip out the door with seven dogs at once; 3 leashes in one hand, 3 in another, and one between her teeth as she shuffled to fit them all through the small doorway.

Ally had left that afternoon to pick up a few strays that were found in a nearby town about an hour away, leaving Lauren in charge of closing down the shelter for the evening. Just as the day was winding down, the lights began to flicker and there was a clash of thunder.

A few of the security panels beeped before powering off completely and all was silent.

“Lauren?” A timid voice called out from one of the back rooms.

“Front register.” She shouted back. “Follow the sound of my voice.”

She heard the clatter of items being knocked around as the girl struggled blindly to find her way to Lauren’s side, groping the darkness until her hand came in contact with Lauren’s stomach.

She hissed in response before Camila retracted, wrapping her arms around herself.

“S-S-Sorry, I couldn’t see.” The girl apologized. After a moment of awkward silence, Lauren grew restless. She began tapping her foot against the tile floor before deciding to finally take action.

“I’m going to find some flashlights.” She announced, her voice booming in the shelter. Without the running electricity and air conditioning, the shelter was eerily quiet. Even the animals seemed to have picked up on the abnormal situation and remained silent, ears perked up in alert.

“Wait!” The smaller girl pleaded, clinging to Lauren’s arm. “Don’t leave me out here! I’m scared.”

“Seriously?” Lauren couldn’t help but roll her eyes. At least it was dark enough that the girl wouldn’t be able to see. “It’s not like you’re alone. There’s a billion strays in here. Go befriend one. You seem to be great at that.”

Camila made a whimpering sound, quiet similar to one of the puppies in the shelter. It made Lauren feel as if she had actually kicked one.

“Fine,” she gave in, “let’s go.” She began to shuffle her way through the shelter, half based on memory of the store’s layout, half with her one hand that was outstretched in front of her. The other was being held, despite her discomfort, but the terrified girl behind her. Good thing Lauren had spent her first few dozen hours counting the number of steps it took to get from one place to another within the disorganized building. It also helped to have been there plenty of times as a little girl.

Once they had passed the visitation area, the two girls arrived at the door for the storage room. Grabbing into the darkness, she quickly came in contact with what she had been searching for.

Flicking the switch, a beam of light made its way across the small closet where it came in contact with a terrified figure. Camila had let go of her hand and was now cowering in the darkness, back against the door. With a sigh, she handed over a flashlight.

“There.” Lauren gave a head nod. “You’re gonna be fine.” She concluded before shoving past the girl who still seemed to be glued to her side, despite having her own source of light.

“Lauren…” Camila began cautiously. “Why are you always so angry?” She asked again.

Her boots pattered across the hard floor.

“Lauren?” The girl whispered, tapping her shoulder. “Did you hear me?”

“I did.” Lauren grumbled, aimlessly navigating between the cages, as the rattling of the wires followed as she approached each. Paws scraped helplessly against the bars as dogs whined for attention and cats mewed for the same.

“Did I do something to upset you?” Camila asked, rounding Lauren’s body to stop her in her tracks.

“Move.” She demanded, her green-eyes glowing in what little light was being emitted from their flashlights.

“Why are you always so short with me?” The girl in front of her continued.

“Because.” Lauren gave simply, turning to head back in the direction they had initially come from.

“There you go again.” Camila chased after her. “Always giving me one word answers.”

Again, Lauren ignored her with a shrug and turned to face away from the girl and her interrogating questions.

 _“Hmph!”_ The brown-eyed girl stomped her foot. “You’re just a terrible person.” She pouted.

“You don’t even know me.” Lauren spun around in defense, her eyes narrowed at the girl’s small figure. She cowered back a few steps.   

“You’re so quick to push people away and act like we’re all a bother to you.” She murmured, head bowed. “Who wouldn’t come up with that conclusion?”

Lauren ran her free hand over her face as she groaned.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” She took a step toward the girl who took another step back. Lauren sighed.

“I’m sorry, Camila.” She repeated more gently this time. “I just have a lot riding on this. I can’t mess this up.” Lauren explained.

“I’m not trying to mess you up.” Camila looked up, brown-eyes glossy.

_Fuck. You were two seconds away from making her cry. Way to go, Jauregui._

Camila reminded her of her younger self; a young, little Lauren that used to run around this very shelter with her cousin when they would have family gatherings. She and Ally used to overfeed the animals and give them all one too many treats. They would chase the puppies around the store and get tangled in the yarn that each kitten was batting around. What happened to that innocent, happy child?

_She grew up._

Her coworker gazed expectantly.

“I know. I just…” She paused. She wasn’t one to share her personal feelings, or back story for that matter. It wasn’t anyone else’s business but her own.

“You can tell me.” Camila encouraged. “There’s no one else here. It’s just me and you. I won’t tell anyone.” The girl promised earnestly, holding out a pinky finger.

Lauren ignored it but divulged, “I got into some trouble with the law a while back.” She confessed, rubbing the back of her neck as she waited for a disdainful look from the girl. It never came so she continued.

“I was dumb and tried to rob a drug store.” She paused again, waiting for a look of disapproval from the girl in front of her. Again, it never came.

“I needed to money to help pay for my baby sister’s hospital bills.” She admitted.

“What about your parents?” Camila inquired, sympathetically.

“Yeah.” Lauren snorted, dryly. “What about them?”

The girl seemed to pick up on the fact that was a touchy subject.

“Couldn’t any of your friends help?” The tiny girl asked innocently.

_Psh. Friends. As if she really even had those. More like liars, manipulators, and a bunch of ass holes._

“I just need to finish my 1000 hours so I can get back home to take care of her.” She finished.

“Who’s taking care of her now?” Camila asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

“My dipshit of a brother.” Lauren rolled huffed. “He spends more time in front of a television, stuffing his face, than visiting her in the hospital.”

Camila nodded for her to continue.

“I would go if I could, but by the time we get done here, visiting hours are over. I only get to see her every other weekend, and that’s only if my parole officer comes with me.” Lauren sighed.

“I’m sorry.” The girl apologized.

“Me too.” Lauren swallowed hard. A part of her felt relatively relieved about the fact that she had finally spilled her story to someone other than Ally and her parole officer. But another part of her was terrified of being judged, even by someone as genuine as Camila.

“Your secret’s safe with me.” The girl smiled. And for the first time, Lauren smiled back at her.

_638 Hours_

Having Camila around wasn’t all that bad, Lauren began to realize. Sometimes, it was almost more than tolerable.

The girl kept her secret and didn’t judge her for her past. She began to pick up on Lauren’s attitude and read her body language, learning to understand her and the way she reacted to things. She began ignoring the hostile exterior and wedging her way slowly into the rebel’s heart. (Not that Lauren would ever admit it.)

“Has Camila contacted you?” Her cousin asked as she was tying her apron around her neck.

“No” Lauren cocked an eyebrow. “Why would she do that?”

“She’s late.” Ally said firmly.

Lauren tensed. The girl was never late, not when it came to something as important to her as volunteering at the shelter.

“Maybe she overslept.” She tried to reason, despite her own sense of worry increasing.

“I tried calling her emergency contact’s number and her mother picked up.” Ally explained. “She said that Camila left almost an hour ago and should have been here by now. She’s just as worried as we are now too.”

“Who said I was worried?” Lauren countered, turning her attention to the bulletin board of feeding procedures to avoid having her cousin catch her with burning cheeks.

“Right.” Ally shrugged. “As worried as I am, at least.” She corrected half-heartedly.

Lauren swallowed her tongue and began working on her tasks, grabbing the bag of kibble and emptying a cup into each eagerly awaiting canine’s bowl.

As the pieces clinked against the metal, she could feel her nerves building.

_Clink. Clink. Clink._

It sounded like the falling shells of a round of bullets. No more than 10 minutes later, she threw off her apron, grabbed her leather jacket from the rack, and swiped her car keys off the hook.

“Where are you going?” Ally shouted behind her as she stepped outside, completely ignoring her question.

It didn’t take long to find the girl on the side of the road, but it seemed like forever and a day to Lauren.

“What are you doing here?” Camila gasped when she realized it was Lauren underneath that motorcycle helmet.

“What? No thank you for finding me. Thank you for saving me from being stranded and having to walk for the next hour to get to the shelter?” Lauren rolled her eyes sarcastically.

“I’m sorry.” Camila apologized. “Thank you.” She said gratefully. “I just meant, what are you doing here, as in, aren’t you violating your parole by being here during volunteer hours?”

“I’m still helping the community, aren’t I? Helping you, anyway.” Lauren shrugged.

“I guess so.” The girl looked down at the ground, toying at the gravel with the toe of her shoe.

“So what happened?” Lauren questioned, walking over to examine the girl’s tiny car that was now in the shoulder  of the road.

“I think my engine gave out.” Camila said. “But I don’t really know anything about cars, so I’m not sure. I tried to call someone to come out and help me, but my phone died.” She explained, holding her pink bedazzled iPhone out so that she could see the black screen.

“Here.” Lauren said, reaching into her back pocket and retrieving her own outdated phone. It was nowhere near as nice as an iPhone, but she was lucky enough to even have one at this point. “You should call your mom. We’ve been worried about you.”

“We?” Brown eyes gazed curiously.

“Umm.” Lauren cleared her throat. “Like she and Ally.” She deflected.

“Okay.” Camila smiled.

_593 Hours_

After it was determined that the younger girl’s engine was indeed busted, Lauren somehow was wrangled into picking her up each morning before work, and dropping her off each evening afterwards.

Camila would come bouncing out of her dainty little house with a white porch and picket fence and place a muffin or bagel in Lauren’s bag as a thank you, before climbing on the back of the bike and wrapping her arms around the delinquent’s waist.

The first time it happened, Lauren almost flung her off the bike. No one had ever held her like that except for Taylor. And even then, it had been years since her sister had been healthy enough to ride freely on the road with her.

It wasn’t so bad the next week. And by the time that Camila’s engine was fixed, Lauren had grown accustom to the warmth around her stomach and the skin against her abs when her shirt would ride up from the momentum and wind blowing against them as the sped across town.

“Thanks again, Lauren.” Camila said appreciatively as she removed the helmet and handed it gingerly over to Lauren’s calloused hands. “I really don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

“No problem.” Lauren shrugged. _At first, maybe it was. But now, not so much._

_The hell are these thoughts coming from?_

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said, shaking the thoughts from her mind.

“Of course.” Camila nodded. “It’s been nice getting to spend some extra time with you.”

It was true. When she wasn’t worrying about having to perfect every single detail at work, it was actually kind of easy for her to open up to Camila. She didn’t talk about much, but it was still more than she had ever done with anyone else. And in return, Camila would share stories and secrets about her own past. The girl was more than just a pretty face. She was curious and bright, innocent and compassionate. And at times, extremely goofy, but always endearing.

_What the fuck are you saying, Jauregui?_

“Yeah.” She blushed. “Nice.”

Her green eyes locked with the girl’s wide brown ones. Lauren could see the wheels turning.

“Spit it out.” She said calmly, no malice laced in her voice.

“Do you…” The girl blushed. “Umm, would you maybe want to hang out sometime, like _outside_ of work?”

Lauren felt her breath catch in her throat. Spending time with Camila in a work setting was one thing, but this was on a whole other level.

“Ican’t.NoSorryICan’t.” She blurted all too quickly. The girl giggled nervously, waiting for Lauren to repeat herself more clearly a second time.

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I am only allowed to leave my house for community service and to visit Taylor.” She explained. “Anything else requires me to get a parole officer to accompany me. And then I’d have to get approval for that to even happen.”

“Okay.” Camila nodded. “What about if I come to see you instead?”

“That…” Lauren pondered it, turning the idea in her head for consideration.

As much as it excited her, it mostly terrified her. Camila in her house?  That run down, beat up thing? And to have her witness Chris lounging on his ass being a waste of space and life itself? _Holy shit._

“I, umm…” Lauren began nervously. “Chris is…”

“It’s alright.” Camila cut off. “I know you’ll protect me.”

_547 Hours_

A week later, Lauren was lying in bed with Camila by her side. They had resorted to hiding in her room after walking in to the stench of under-age drinking and marijuana smoke.

“Can I ask you something?” Lauren began after staring up at the ceiling in silence.

“Sure.” The younger girl rasped, her eyes drooping in exhaustion.

“Why are you here?” Lauren asked in the most non-offensive way possible.

“Well,” The younger girl giggled. “I mean, a mom and a dad…”

“No.” Lauren snorted. “Why are you at my house?” She paused. “Don’t you have _actual_ friends?”

The younger girl rolled over to meet her gaze.

_Shit. Way to shove your foot in your mouth and out your ear, dumbass._

“I didn’t mean it like…” She tried to correct herself.

“I know.” Camila held up a hand to stop her. “I don’t really fit in.” She admitted.

“You and me, both.” Lauren shrugged.

“It’s okay. At least we have each other, right?” The younger girl asked innocently, grabbing Lauren’s hand in her own. She froze momentarily before relaxing as the girl stroked the back of  her hand with her thumb.

She nodded in agreement.

“You’re my best friend, Lauren.” She confessed with a blush.

Lauren blinked rapidly. Maybe there was more to Camila than she had originally taken her for. She really wasn’t all that bad, a little dorky and somewhat obnoxious at times, but nothing that Lauren couldn’t tolerate. And sometimes she would say funny things without even realizing it. It was kind of cute.

_Whoa. Cute?_

_439 Hours_

After their first weekend together, the two volunteers actually got along quite well. Lauren’s patience grew and as a result, she began to open up to the darker haired girl. Camila was also more behaved, now knowing just what actions would send Lauren storming out of the shelter, cursing up a storm. Since their sleepover, it had only happened twice. Once when a dog decided Lauren’s foot would be a great location for “poo time” and another when she had to break up a fight between two feral cats, resulting in a plethora of cuts all over her arms and hands. None of which, though, were a direct result of Camila.

And when all was said and done, Camila had selflessly taken Lauren’s boots home to be washed and cleaned thoroughly, and bandaged up Lauren’s injuries, taking the time to kiss each and every scrape, no matter how small.

It was nice to be taken care of. At times, it even seemed too good to be true.

On the afternoon of her 493rd hour, Lauren pulled up to Camila’s high school to surprise her with a ride to work and a quick treat; banana bites dipped in chocolate, something she had realized the girl adored. She always packed them in a small ziplock bag to bring to work and eat when she had some break time.

To her surprise, Camila did not exit the building alone, as Lauren had expected. Instead, she was surrounded by a small group of others who seemed to be fawning over her, not that Lauren could blame them. Camila was pretty great. (She’d never admit that out loud though.)

Lauren flicked the kickstand down and revved her motor from the side of the parking lot, hoping to grab the girl’s attention. All heads, including Camila’s turned in her direction, but instead of running to her and taking her usual seat on the back of Lauren’s bike, Camila glanced warily at her posse before turning her attention back to the blonde girl at her side.

Irritated, Lauren revved her engine again. This time though, the blonde leaned over and whispered something in Camila’s ear. The younger girl rolled her eyes and the group walked off in the opposite direction of Lauren and her bike.

With a huff, she flung on her helmet and sped away, not bothering to look back.

_362 Hours_

Since Camila had returned to school, Lauren no longer spent time with her outside of work. It was frustrating, to say the least. She could feel Camila’s eyes on her every time they walked the dogs together.

When it was time to lock up and close up for the night, she was acutely aware of the brown eyes watching her as she crossed the parking lot to her bike, but Camila never said a word to her. It only made Lauren more angry.

She never expected Camila to be the type of person to just blow her off because of the image she gave or whatever the hell seemed to be up her ass. To be honest, it pissed Lauren the fuck off.

It had been almost a month since their last hang out. As the rain poured down, soaking her boots, Lauren climbed onto her bike, sitting and waiting for Camila’s car to pull out of the lot first, despite getting drenched, her hair sticking to her face as it blew wildly with the torrential downpour.

When she approached her shabby house, a flash of lightning struck and crack of thunder echoed through her ears. In the flash, she was able to make out the shadowy figure of a young girl standing beside the silhouette of a fancy compact car. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Camila.

“What are you doing here?” She shouted over the rain.

“Why are you ignoring me?” The girl asked, her voice cracking with defeat.

“Me?!” She huffed. “What about you? You’re the one who’s too ashamed to even acknowledge me.”

“I…” She didn’t have a response and she knew it. Lauren had called her out on the shallow behavior. “I’m sorry.” Camila apologized.

But it wasn’t enough. Lauren had only just begun. She had picked at the scab and now wanted to rub as much salt in the wound as she possibly could.

“Is it because I’m a delinquent?” She stepped forward as Camila cowered back.

“Is it because you think I’ll do something bad to your rich, spoiled friends?” She fronted again as Camila’s back collided against the cold metal of her vehicle.

“Or maybe just make you look bad to your friends?” Lauren was now hovering in Camila’s personal space, her nose practically pressed to the dark haired girl’s own.

“Do I look like a murderer to you? A drug dealer? A thief?” she listed. “Or maybe all of them combined?!” She spat.

“What happened to, ‘your secret’s safe with me?’” She mimicked, flipping her hair over her shoulder dramatically. “What happened to ‘you’re my best friend?’” She interrogated.

“Is this how you treat all of your friends?” She practically screamed as a tear ran down the girl’s face, mixing with the rain falling from the grey sky above them.

“Say something, damn it!” She roared. She was losing her temper terribly and she knew it. But she was so hurt. She hadn’t felt this betrayed since her “friend” had framed her and let her fend for herself against the judicial system.

“I don’t want to be your friend.” Camila finally whimpered.

Lauren’s eyes widened. She was absolutely appalled. “Fine. I don’t need to be friends with people like you anyway. I don’t-”  
  
She never finish her sentence, or her thought because Camila’s lips were on hers before she could any anything else.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized again. “I was scared.” Camila confessed.  Gazing into sincere eyes, Lauren could see that she was telling the truth.

With a sigh, she took the girl’s fragile wrist and led her inside. They spent the night talking, trying to repair what was left of their friendship, or relationship.

_278 Hours_

Lauren learned that Camila had been bullied because of her sexuality and for the first time in a long time, she had made some ‘so-called’ friends. Unfortunately, Lauren arriving at her high school that afternoon only resurfaced the rumors about the younger girl being a “raging dyke.” The phrase caused Lauren to shatter a mirror, resulting in Camila having to wrap her fist and drive them to a local home apparel shop to find a replacement.

Despite it all, Lauren managed to keep her temper, for the most part, in check. It helped that her girlfriend was always around to manage her actions.

Eventually, Camila realized that she had no need for those types of people in her life, and surrounded herself with Lauren and Ally; her girlfriend and best friend.

Sometimes she would chuckle at the two bickering cousins who demanded that she take sides in their argument, but she always remained diplomatic and unbiased, much to both parties’ disappointment.

“You need to lay the blankets around her.” Lauren grunted, tossing a pile of old sheets to the floor.

“I don’t want the puppies to get tangled or suffocate.” Ally countered, kneeling to retrieve them from the cage. “Just put one down under her.”

Camila’s head turned rapidly from side to side as the girls argued. A new stray had been picked up on the streets and much to their surprise, she was very close to her due date. They had been working around the clock over the last few days to prepare for the new litter of what was expect to be at least seven new pups. With tensions running high, and the lack of sleep, every minor detail seemed to trigger some sort of argument.

Camila sat on the ground, crossed legged, next to the expecting mother who whimpered incessantly, whether it was from the contractions, or the arguments, she wasn’t sure. Either way, Camila could sympathize.

Having had enough, Ally stormed out of the back room with the extra sheets, preventing Lauren from adding any more to the pile that was already surrounding the panting canine.

 “There, there, Stella.” The younger girl consoled, petting the dog lightly on the head. “It’s okay, You’re okay.” She coaxed.

“Don’t name the strays.” Lauren repeated. “You’ll just get attached.”

Several contractions later, there were seven more names.

_132 Hours_

Lauren watched as dark hair disappeared in a pile of fluffy brown and tan fur, the laughter of her girlfriend filling the room as she stood in the doorway, arms crossed in amusement.

Floofa, Beedo, Cat, Ephalant, Scootentag, Fleeflee, and Runt all came bounding over at once, tails wagging happily as they hopped over one another, desperate for Lauren’s attention.

She kneeled down with one hand outstretched as they pawed and nibbled at her sleeves.

“Why do they like you more?” Camila whined, frowning at the loss of animals surrounding her.

Lauren simply shrugged and chuckled at her girlfriend’s adorable pout. “Sorry, baby. Bitches love me.” She joked causing her girlfriend to thrust a chew toy at her. The action only caused the puppies to get even more excited.

“Scooter and Runt are boys!” She scowled.

“Right, right.” Lauren laughed. “I’m sorry.”

Camila playfully turned away, huffing in the corner until Lauren approached her, puppies on her heels, before tilting her chin in her direction to place a kiss on her lips.

_Puppy love._

8 Hours

It was her last day of volunteering at the shelter. Floofa was adopted and renamed “Mia.” Beedo became “Patches.” Cat was no longer an animal and was more appropriately named “Paws.” Ephalant was forever be known as “Daisy.” Scooter or ‘Scootentag’ was dubbed a very American, “Buddy.” And FleeFlee retained her repetitive nature as “Kiki.” All that was left was the only appropriately named pup, Runt.

Ally had surprised Lauren with ownership over the dog for her last day, the adoption papers and fee paid for on her behalf.

“You can sell him to help pay for Taylor’s hospital bills.” Ally offered. But Lauren simply shook her head and disagreed.

“I want to make sure he goes to a good home.” She insisted.

“I know, but it’s been weeks.” Her cousin reasoned. “Most pups go in a matter of days. Let’s face it, Runt isn’t that easy to be rehomed. He’s clumsy and shy, unlike the other puppies. He’s just kind of awkward.” Ally frowned.

Lauren nodded sadly. Ally was never one to criticize anyone or anything, but she was right. Runt was hard to place because he just wasn’t what people were expecting. But the unexpected doesn’t always mean that it’s a bad thing. Lauren of all people would know that.

When her shift finally ended, and she hung up her apron one last time, she pulled her girlfriend aside.

“I’m gonna miss you.” Camila sniffed.

“Hey. It’s not like I’m leaving you.” Lauren cooed, taking her girlfriend’s hands in her own. “I’ll still be here, just not working at the shelter. But you’ll still see me all the time.” She promised.

“But you’ll be at the hospital all the time.” She cried. “Not that I don’t want you to be there, because I know you have to take care of Taylor, but I still need you too.” She whimpered.

“I know, Camz.” Lauren nodded. “And I’ll always be here for you. You’ve got to be strong for me when I’m not around, okay?” She requested.

Her girlfriend nodded timidly.

“You can’t let those bullies get to you. There’s nothing wrong with you, or me, or us, got it?” She encouraged. Again, Camila gave another small nod.

“Come here.” She directed, pulling her girlfriend to the back room where the animals had been caged for the evening. “I found someone to keep you company when I’m not around.”

Lauren unlatched the cage door as Runt came fumbling to their side.

“Runt?” Camila tilted her head in confusion.

“He’s yours now.” Lauren smiled, handing over the revised adoption papers from her back pocket.

Her girlfriend squealed before scooping up the puppy in her arms, kissing him repeatedly on the head before moving her lips to connect with Lauren’s repeatedly as well.

The rebel wiped her mouth of the puppy fur that was now sticking to her lip.

“I just ask that you do me one favor.” She required.

“Anything!” Camila nodded, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she rocked the puppy that was now trying to devour her ponytail.

“Don’t call him ‘Runt’ anymore.” Lauren said. “He needs a strong, tough name so he won’t be picked on.” She alluded.

Camila gave an appreciative smile as she debated a new name for the ball of joy in her arms. Lauren watched as she chewed her lip in contemplation before finally snapping her fingers.

“Leo!” She concluded. “Strong like a lion, brave like a lion, and cute and fluffy like a lion!” She cooed, ruffling the puppy’s fur. He barked happily, licking the air instead of Lauren’s open palm as she pet him in approval of the new name.

“Strong, brave, cute, and fluffy like my girlfriend.” Lauren teased, ruffling the smaller girl’s hair as she squealed in an attempt to flee.

_0 Hours_

Her dark boots slammed down on the kickstand as she parked her motorcycle on the side of the tattered house. She had been there ever since she was a little girl. She closed her eyes, wiping the unhappy memories out of her head, sighing as she was able to recall all of the new pleasant ones she had made with her girlfriend. Her shoes clunked tiredly as they collided with the pavement. It was a start to a brand new day. She told herself. _1000 hours were over before she knew it._

**Author's Note:**

> Stay in touch!  
> Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07BB6DFXN  
> Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17449889.Jessica_Yeh  
> Facebook: facebook.com/JessicaYehWrites/  
> 


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